Details

• Australia
• MAMark-21
• Graduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 3 months

1. Preparation

Tips for the application process at WU for future outgoing students: For the choice of your partner university, I've found attending WU information sessions and reading experience reports from former outgoing students very helpful. When selecting partner universities, I would advise not only focusing on the destination but also consider course offerings, semester dates and workload. Tips for preparing your semester abroad: Booking flights early can help reduce costs and I would definitely recommend to arrive a few days - 1 week before the semester starts to recover from jet lag and get settled. Visa applications, insurance, and required documents should be handled as early as possible, as processing times can be long.

2. Accommodation

I found my accommodation through Flatmates and rented a room in a private shared apartment relatively early (around August) in order to have something fixed before arriving in Melbourne. However, the housing market in Melbourne is extremely spontaneous and fast-moving. A few other exchange students only started searching after arriving and most managed to find accommodation within 1-2 weeks. With enough patience and flexibility, it is definitely possible to find more affordable apartments than when searching far in advance. Overall, a large part of the housing search in Melbourne happens via Facebook groups (e.g. Fairyfloss), which turned out to be a very useful resource. While it's close to the university, I wouldn't recommend living within the CBD as it's very hectic. My favorite areas were: Carlton, Carlton North, Fitzroy, Richmond, South Yarra, St.Kilda (next to the beach, but rather far away from the university).

3. Academic life at host university

MBS is part of the University of Melbourne which has a huge campus and many facilites which we were allowed to use. However you will spend most of your time at the business school, which has it ́s own building and pretty small.The campus facilities were very modern and well equipped. There's always enough availability of study spaces and private rooms which don't even need to be pre-booked. The academic culture was generally interactive. Students are encouraged to actively participate in discussions, ask questions, and share their opinions during class. The courses available to exchange students were part of the part-time MBA program, which meant that classes usually took place in the evening or on the weekends. As it's a part-time program most of the students were already further ahead in their professional careers and often 30y+. This on the one hand made it a bit harder to make friends outside of the other exchange students but also was extremely interesting during group work or in class discussions. One important aspect to consider is that grading at MBS is curved, meaning that students are graded relative to their peers’ performance. As a result, achieving top grades can be quite challenging. At the same time, it is also unlikely to receive a grade lower than a 3. My favorite course by far was "Negotiations" with Deshani - if you have the chance definitely choose this one! From a Marketing perspective, the only truly marketing-related course was "Strategic pricing and business insights".

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transport: Melbourne has a well-developed public transport system, mainly consisting of trams and trains. The CBD is a free tram zone, which means that if you live centrally, you do not have to pay for tram rides within this area. Outside the CBD, public transport is relatively expensive, costing around 5AUD per ride. Some of the exchange students got a bike which is a good alternative if you live outside the CBD. Safety situation: Overall, Melbourne feels like a safe city, especially in districts that are popular with students. I lived in South Yarra and always felt safe, even when walking home at night. Social and leisure activities: Melbourne offers a wide range of cultural activities and events. There is always something going on and the city also has an excellent food and coffee scene with countless cafés and restaurants. Through the university, we had a strong exchange group that met regularly and even traveled together. MBS also organizes events, such as a casino ball which was great to connect with other MBA students. Sports options: there are many affordable gyms and sports options throughout the city. Through MBS, we had free access to a gym close to campus, which was very convenient. I would also recommend exploring different gyms and courses, e.g. using ClassPass.

6. Testimonial

My exchange semester in Melbourne was an unforgettable experience that combined practice-oriented academic courses with an exceptional lifestyle environment. The short but intensive term allowed me to gain valuable academic insights while still having enough time to travel and explore Australia. What made the exchange particularly special was the international atmosphere, the people from various backgrounds I met, and Melbourne’s vibrant city life with its outstanding food, coffee, and cultural scene.